Who wants to be Paris Hilton's new best friend?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Who wants to bask in the reflected
glory of Paris Hilton? That's the challenge the ubiquitous
socialite is throwing out to 20 men and women who will compete
in an MTV reality show to be her new "BFF" (best friend
forever).

Hilton, 27, unveiled the series, with the working title
"Paris Hilton's My New BFF," during a news conference at a
luxury home high in the Hollywood Hills on Thursday.

Production on the 10-episode series is slated to begin in
Los Angeles at the end of May, with an air date scheduled for
the fourth quarter of 2008.

Wannabe members of Hilton's entourage must submit their
details to a web site, www.parisbff.com, where online
voters will decide their fate. The 20 finalists will move into
a house with Hilton, and will learn from the master about
"normal girl stuff," like fashion, parties and shopping.

The winner, joining a long list of trusty sidekicks such as
Dr. Watson, Tonto and Karl Rove, will get "an all-access pass
to the VIP section of the VIP section," according to a
statement.

At least until the inevitable celebrity feud flares up,
which Hilton joked would "probably" inspire a new reality
series. She declined to detail how the winner would be chosen,
and what exactly they would win.

What is she looking for in a best friend?

"Someone that I can just trust, someone who's not gonna
stab me in the back like has happened a lot in this town,
someone I can have fun with," said Hilton, who co-created the
series with Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper, former
executives at VH1, the cable channel sibling of MTV.
Continued...